X-ray equipment for inspection



may 26, 193@ M. B. ADRIAN X-RAY EQUIPMENT FOR INSPECTION Filed June 27,1952 :inventor Gttornegs Patented May 26, 1936 UNITED STATES X-RAYEQUIPMENT FOR INSPECTION Matthew B. Adrian, Milwaukee, Wis., assigner toAdrian X-Ray Shoe Fitter Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation ofWisconsin Application June 27, 1932, Serial No. 619,500,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in X-ray equipment forinspection.

The device is particularly designed for the inspection of shoes by X-rayto ascertain whether sewed shoes are free of the nails used inassembling their parts, but the same apparatus herein disclosed toexemplify the invention may be used without change or with minor changeswithin the spirit of the invention to inspect a variety of otherarticles.

Itis the object of the invention to provide a simple compact and efcentapparatus of novel form for inspection purposes, due regard being hadfor the protection of the operator and for facilitating the insertion,positioning and withdrawal of the objects to be inspected.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device in which theseveral component operating parts are conveniently and compactlydisposed with reference to each other in the enclosing cabinet.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of a complete device embodying. theinvention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section therethrough from front to rear on asomewhat enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a view taken in section on the line indicated at 3-3 in Fig.2.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthe several views.

The cabinet 4 houses all of the apparatus required for developing X-raysand employing them for inspection purposes. In the base is a case 5which houses the transformer 6 and is preferably liquid-tight to containan oil bath for cooling the transformer. Copper tubing is arranged incoils 'I and 8 leading from top to bottom of the case and the oilcirculating through these coils, which thus serve as radiators for thedissipation of heat delivered to the oil by the transformer.

The transformer leads are carried upwardly through insulators 9 to theX-ray tube I0 which preferably has a sheath II of lead or lead glasswindowed at I2 for the delivery of the rays to be used. The tube andsheath assembly is mounted in a conical protective screen I3 whichflares upwardly and is made of lead or the like to prevent the X-raysfrom passing to any part of the apparatus other than that in which thearticles requiring inspection are placed. The weight of the protectivescreen I3 and the tube and sheath assembly may conveniently be carriedby a support I4 which extends across the cabinet from front to rear.

The articles to be viewed are placed upon a shelf (Cl. Z50-*34) I5 whichis preferably slidable in suitable channels I6 to facilitate theplacement of the goods tobe inspected. The goods are receivable into thecabinet through aV door opening II which may be closed by a door I8. Thedoor is preferably lined with lead at I9 for the protection of theoperator.

A hinge 20 connects the door with the cabinet, and a strap 2| carried bythe door is engaged.l in a slot 22 in the sliding shelf I5, so thaty theshelf will move outwardly as the door is opened andV will be caused tomove inwardly when the door is closed. While any desired means foroperating the door may be employed, it is preferred to use a link 23 anda foot treadle 24 pivoted on a 1 stand 25.

The particular device disclosed is adapted to receive four shoes atonce. In order to position the shoes with sucient accuracy so that theymay all be inspected simultaneously, I prefer to employ the quarterroundV positioning guides 30. These may be covered with felt to avoidpossibility of injuring the finish of the shoes.

Partitions 3l extend upwardly above the slidable shelf I5 to dene thereceiving chamber for articles to be inspected. At the top of thischarnber is a guideway formed by angles 32 in which a frame 33 isremovably supported to fix the position of`\a replaceable uoroscopicscreen 35. The` frame may be withdrawn through the door opening I'I asshown in Fig. 2.

That portion of cabinet 4 above the screen constitutes a viewingchamber. The top of the cabinet carries an eye piece at 35 through whichall portions of screen 35 are visible.

The door I8 will normally be allowed to remain open, thus holding theslidable shelf I5 in its outwardly extended position pending thepositioning of the shoes thereon. As the door I8 is closed, the shoesmove inwardly on shelf I5 between the positioning guides 3D. As the doorreaches its closed position a link 3l connected therewith closes switch3B which may operate the transformer directly, but preferably merelycloses a low voltage circuit from wire 39 to wire 40, and thence throughthe electromagnet 4I to wire 42 and back to the source of current at 43.The electromagnet 4I attracts the relay switch 44 which comprises itsarmature, and thereby closes circuit from the source of current 43through wire 39 and shunt 45 to wire 46 which is one of the supply leadsto the transformer, the return lead being designated at 41. It will, ofcourse, be understood that the illustration of the electricalconnections is purely diagrammatic.

Cil

Each time the door I8 is closed the work is moved into position and theelectrical connections are energized to operate the X-ray tube I0. 'Iheminute the door is opened the X-ray tube is deenergized. Thisarrangement affords substantial and greatly needed protection for theoperator.

The device may be operated with great rapidity since the sliding shelffacilitates placement and removal of the shoes, the cushioned guides 3Bposition the shoes Without injury, and the disposiployed instead ofX-rays without departing fromV the spirit of this invention, and thatother screens sensitive to the rays employed may be used as substitutesfor the fluoroscopic screen described because of its familiarapplication to the purpose. Other shielding than lead may also besubstituted if desired. The above terms wherever used throughout thespecification and claims are to be understood to include equivalentsubstitutes.

I claim:

1. An inspecting device comprising a cabinet provided with a door, awork receiving shelf within the cabinet, a fluoroscopic screen and anX-ray tube disposed at opposite sides of work to be received on saidshelf, and means for energizing said tube upon the closing of the door,together with a treadle operatively connected with said door for theactuation thereof.

2. An X-ray inspecting device comprising the combination with a cabinethaving a door and a viewing chamber above the door, of a uoroscopicscreen at the bottom of said chamber, a support slidable in said cabinetin spaced relation below said screen and accessible through said door,an X-ray tube below the support, and guide means at opposite sides ofthe support for positioning above said tube articles carried by saidsupport in the sliding movement thereof.

3. X-ray inspection apparatus comprising the combination with a movablework support, of means comprising with said work support a work chamber,and including a fluoroscopic screen at one side of the path of movementof said support, an X-ray tube below said screen, and a viewing chamberabove said screen and adapted to exclude light extraneous to saidapparatus, together with means mechanically operable upon the movementof said support for energizing said tube.

4. X-ray inspection apparatus comprising a cabinet subdivided in part bya work receiving shelf and a superposed iluoroscopic screen into a workreceiving chamber and a superposed viewing chamber, said cabinet havinga ray generating tube below the shelf and means for intercepting thegenerated rays on all sides except that occupied by the shelf, incombination with a ray intercepting door for the work receiving chamber,a

source of energy for actuating said tube, connections from said sourceto said ray generating tube, a switch interposed in said connections forcontrolling the energization of said ray generating tube, and meansassociated with said shelf for transmitting door closing movements toactuate said switch.

5. X-ray inspection apparatus comprising the combination with a movablework support, a shielded X-ray tube at one side of the path of movementof work carried by said support, a uoroscopic screen at the other sideof said path, relatively fixed guiding means for positioning work onsaid support, a viewing chamber adapted to facilitate inspection of suchwork, and a door provided with a ray intercepting ply and adapted toserve as a lever for moving said support from Work receiving position towork inspecting position during a closing movement of the door, saiddoor also controlling the application of electrical energy to said X-raytube during its closing movement, whereby to protect operators handlingthe work from exposure to the rays by requiring closure of the doorpreparatory to generation of such rays.

6. In an X-ray work inspection cabinet, the combination with anelectrically operated ray generating tube, of a movable work support insaid cabinet, a fluorescent viewing screen above said work support, aray intercepting door affording access to the work support and adaptedto serve as a lever to actuate the same, and switch mechanism operableby said support to close the energizing circuit of said tube when thesupport is actuated by the door in a door closing movement.

7. An inspecting device comprising a cabinet, said cabinet havingmounted therein an X-ray tube, a fluorescent screen and an intermediatesupport for articles to be inspected, a ray intercepting doorcontrolling access to the interior of said cabinet and through which thearticles to be inspected may be placed upon said support, a source ofenergy for said X-ray tube, switch mechanism controlling delivery ofsaid energy to the tube, said switch mechanism being linked to thesupport and said support in turn being movable in correspondence withmovements of the door and adapted to transmit movement from the door tothe switch through such linkage to close the switch during the closingmovement of the door.

8. An inspecting device comprising a cabinet having mounted therein andX-ray tube, a fluorescent screen and an intermediate movable worksupport, a door controlling access to that A

